International study and student exchange
Date: 2015-10-07; view: 562.
Text 2
Text 1
HIGHER EDUCATION IN THE USA
San Francisco
Detroit
Detroit is the world's car manufacturing center, giving Detroit its nickname the Motor City. It is also one of the nation's leading industrial centers. Detroit produces steel, metal products, machine tools, chemicals, office machines, and pharmaceuticals. The metropolitan area contains the international headquarters of such major motor-vehicle firms as General Motors Corporation, Ford Motor Company, and Chrysler Corporation. The first motor car factories were founded in Detroit in 1899 and 1903 by Ransom Olds and Henry Ford.
The city is surrounded on three sides by water. It is famous for its bridges, fog, and foghorns. San Francisco has 40 hills. It is famous for its cable cars, which climb these hills, and for its steep and narrow streets. San Francisco is a wonderful city to explore on foot. San Francisco also has a reputation as an intellectual, liberal, and slightly crazy city – a city where new and different ideas can be explored. Don't leave San Francisco without seeing the symbol of the city – the Golden Gate Bridge – a beautiful orange suspension bridge. The city has the largest Chinese neighborhood – Chinatown, a genuinely ethnic area
The first American college was Harvard, which was founded in 1636 by the graduates of Cambridge University. Later, in 1693, the college of William and Mary was founded in Williamsburg, Virginia, with Yale soon following in 1701. By 1776, there were 9 colleges in the colonies, including Princeton, Pennsylvania, Columbia, Brown, Rutgers. Today these universities are among the most respectful not only in the USA but all over the world. They are very selective and very expensive. The most outstanding of them are called the Ivy League (ãðóïïà ñòàðåéøèõ óíèâåðñèòåòîâ): Brown, Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Cornell, Darmouth College, Princeton and Pennsylvania.
About 40% of high school graduates go to college. Students pay tuition (ïëàòèòü çà îáó÷åíèå) to study at public and private universities. Some of them have scholarships (ñòèïåíäèÿ) to help with the cost of tuition. Even with scholarship, higher education is very expensive; many families take out loans to pay for their children's college education.
The USA now has about 3, 350 accredited colleges and universities. They offer a great variety of requirements for admission and so many different types of programs that foreign visitors usually have some difficulty identifying American colleges and universities with those of their own countries.
College-bound students generally take college admission tests during their last two years of high school.
The terms “college” and “university” are often used interchangeably, although the former often is a part of the latter.
An American college offers a blend of natural and social sciences and humanistic studies. Students, traditionally from 18 to 22 years old, attend classes for about 4 years to receive, if they successfully complete all requirements, a bachelor's degree in arts or in sciences. A university is usually composed of an undergraduate college of arts and sciences, plus graduate schools and professional schools and facilities.
A student can accumulate (íàêîïèòü, ñäàòü) credits at one university, transfer them to a second and ultimately receive a degree from there or a third university.
American universities and colleges are usually built as a separate complex, called “campus”, with teaching blocks, libraries, dormitories (îáùåæèòèÿ), and many other facilities grouped together on one site, often on the outskirts of the city.
A student starting high school is called a freshman and becomes a sophomore in the second year. Eleven-grade students are called juniors, and twelfth-grade students are seniors. There are eight classes a day, usually from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The academic year begins in late August or early September and ends in May or June, for most colleges and universities. The semester system divides the academic year into two equal terms of approximately 16 weeks each. Usually there is also a fourth “summer quarter” for students who choose summer school and earn units which may help them to complete their degree work in a shorter length of time than normally is required.
At the end of term students get a grade of A/A- (outstanding/ extremely good work), B+/ B/ B- (very good work/ good work/ a bit better than average), C+/ C/ C- (better than average/ satisfactory/ almost satisfactory), D+/ D (not good/ barely passing), or F (fail) for each subject. As they finish each class, students get a credit. When they have enough of these, they can graduate.
Most colleges and universities in the United States have established “honor codes” «êîäåêñ ÷åñòè» – statements of certain rules students must follow in their academic year. Ignorance of the rules is not usually accepted as an excuse. You may be expelled from your school. There is a US idiom that applies here: “It is better to be safe than sorry”.
Cheating (ñïèñûâàíèå) is a failure of honesty. In the USA cheating means getting unauthorized help on an assignment, quiz or examination. You must not use unauthorized sources for answers during exam. You must not take notes or books to the exam if this is forbidden.
Plagiarism is a failure to do your own original work in written assignments (ïèñüìåííûå çàäàíèÿ). Plagiarism is using someone else's words or ideas as though they were own. It is literary “theft”. If you commit any act of dishonesty even for the first time:
▪You will certainly receive an “F” (failing grade) for the assignment;
▪You will probably receive an “F” for the entire course;
▪You may be expelled from the school.
Methods of instruction: Lecture is the most common method of instruction at U.S. colleges and universities. Usually lectures are supplemented by an extra “discussion” class, reading assignments and periodic written assignments. Class discussion is regarded as a healthy sign of interest, attention and independent thinking. Seminarswhere students prepare presentations based on independent reading and research.Laboratories,esp. forscience courses where theory learned in the classroom is applied to practical problems. Term papers are based on researches students have done in the library or the lab. The professor usually assigns a term paper early in the course and near the end of the course. All papers must be typewritten.
Higher education in the United States includes a variety of institutions of higher education. Strong research and funding make United States colleges and universities among the world's most prestigious, attractive to international students, professors and researchers in the pursuit of academic excellence. More than 30 of the highest-ranked 45 institutions are in the United States (as measured by awards and research output). Public universities, private universities, liberal arts colleges all have a significant role in higher education in the United States.
As of 2010, the US had 20.3 million students in higher education, roughly 5.7% of the total population. About 14.6 million of these students were enrolled full-time.
The American university system is largely decentralized. Public universities are administered solely by the individual states.
Colleges and universities in the U.S. vary in terms of goals: some may emphasize a vocational, business, engineering, or technical curriculum while others may emphasize a liberal arts curriculum. Many combine some or all of the above.
Universities are research-oriented institutions which provide both undergraduate and graduate education. For historical reasons, some universities - such as Boston College, Dartmouth College, and The College of William & Mary - have retained the term "college," while some institutions granting few graduate degrees, such as Wesleyan University, use the term "university." Graduate programs grant a variety of master's degrees - such as the Master of Arts (ãóìàíèòàðíûå íàóêè) (M.A.), Master of Science (M.S.), Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.), or Master of Fine Arts (èçîáðàçèòåëüíûå èñêóññòâà) (M.F.A.) - in addition to doctorates such as the Ph.D.
Many private universities also exist. Among these, some are secular (ñâåòñêèå) while others are involved in religious education. Some are non-denominational (íå îòíîñÿùèåñÿ ê âåðîèñïîâåäàíèþ) and some are affiliated with a certain sect or church, such as Roman Catholicism (with different institutions often sponsored by particular religious institutes such as the Jesuits (èåçóèò)) or religions such as Lutheranism or Mormonism. Seminaries are private institutions for those preparing to become members of the clergy. Most private schools (like all public schools) are non-profit, although some are for-profit.
Public universities often have much lower tuition than private universities because funds are provided by state governments and residents of the state that supports the university typically pay lower tuition than non-residents. Students often use scholarships, student loans, or grants, rather than paying all tuition out-of-pocket. Several states offer scholarships that allow students to attend free of tuition or at lesser cost (çà ìåíüøóþ ñòîèìîñòü).
Students can apply to some colleges using the Common Application (ïðîãðàììà). There is no limit to the number of colleges or universities to which a student may apply, though an application (ôîðìà ïîñòóïëåíèÿ â çàâåäåíèå) must be submitted (ïîä÷èíÿòü) for each. With a few exceptions, most undergraduate colleges and universities maintain the policy that students are to be admitted (ïîñòóïàòü, äîïóñêàòü) to (or rejected from) the entire college, not to a particular department or major. (This is unlike college admissions in many European countries, as well as graduate admissions.) Some students, rather than being rejected, are "wait-listed" for a particular college and may be admitted if another student who was admitted decides not to attend the college or university.
262,416 American students studied outside the country in 2007-8. More than 140,000 of these are studying in Europe.
The US is the most popular country in the world to study for international students, according to UNESCO. 16% of all international students go to the US (the next highest is the UK with 11%). Higher education in America remains attractive to international students due to "generous subsidies and financial aid packages that enable students from even the most disadvantaged (íåáëàãîïîëó÷íûé) backgrounds to attend the college of their dreams"
Text 3
Many students, upon finishing high school, choose to continue their education. The system of higher education includes 4 categories of institutions.
The community college, which is financed by the local community in different professions. Tuition fees are low in these colleges, that's why about 40 per cent of all American students of higher education study at these colleges. On graduation from such colleges American students get "associate degree" and can start to work or may transfer to 4-year colleges or universities (usually to the 3rd year).
The technical training institution, at which high school graduates may take courses ranging from six months to three-four years, and learn different technical skills, which may include design business, computer programming, accounting, etc. The best-known of them are: the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Technological Institute in California.
The four-year college, which is not a part of a university. The graduates receive the degree of Bachelor of Arts (BA) or Bachelor of Science (BS). There are also small Art Colleges, which grant degrees in specialized fields such as ballet, film-making and even circus performance. There are also Pedagogical Colleges.
The university, which may contain:
several colleges for students who want to receive a bachelor's degree after four years of study;
one or more graduate schools for those who want to continue their studies after college for about two years to receive a master's degree and then a doctor's degree. There are 156 universities in the USA.
Any of these institutions of higher education may be either public or private. The public institutions are financed by state. Most of the students, about 80 per cent, study at public institutions of higher education, because tuition fees here are much lower. Some of the best-known private universities are Harvard, Yale and Princeton.
It is not easy to enter a college at a leading university in the United States. Successful applicants at colleges of higher education are usually chosen on the basis of:
their high-school records which include their class rank, the list of all the courses taken and all the grades received in high school, test results;
recommendation from their high-school teachers;
the impression they make during interviews at the university, which is in fact a serious examination;
scores on the Scholastic Aptitude (ñïîñîáíîñòü) Tests.
The academic year is usually nine months, divided into two terms. Studies usually begin in September and end in July. Each college or university has its own curriculum. During one term a student must study 4 or 5 different courses. There are courses that every student has to take in order to receive a degree. These courses or subjects are called major subjects or "majors".
At the same time there are subjects which the student may choose himself for his future life. These courses are called 'electives"(ôàêóëüòàòèâ). A student has to earn a certain number of "credits" (about 120) in order to receive a degree at the end of four years of college. Credits are earned by attending lectures or laboratory classes and completing assignments and examinations.
Students who study at a university or four-year college are known as undergraduates ñòóäåíòû ïîñëåäíåãî êóðñà îáó÷åíèÿ. Those who have received a degree after 4 years of studies are known as graduates. They may take graduate program for another 2 years in order to get a master's degree. Further studies are postgraduate which result in a doctor's degree.
| Text 4 Higher Education in the USA Finishing school is the beginning of an independent life for millions of school graduates. Many roads are open before them. But it is not an easy thing to choose a profession out of more than the 2000 existing in the world. Out of the more than three million students who graduate from high school each year, about one million go on for "higher education”. Simply by being admitted into one of the most respected universities in the United States, a high school graduate achieves a degree of success. A college at a leading university might receive applications from two percent of these high school graduates, and then accept only one out of every ten who apply. Successful applicants at such colleges are usually chosen on the basis of: · a) high school records; · b) recommendations from high school teachers; · c) the impression they make during interviews at the university; · d) their scores on the Scholastic Aptitude Tests (SAT); The system of higher education in the United States is complex. It comprises four categories of institution: 1. The university, which may contain: o several colleges for undergraduate students seeking a bachelor's four-year degree; o one or more graduate schools for those continuing in specialized studies beyond the bachelor's degree to obtain a master's or a doctoral degree; 2. The four-year undergraduate institution – the college – most of which are not part of a university; 3. The technical training institution, at which high school graduates may take courses ranging from six months to four years in duration, and learn a wide variety of technical skills, from hair styling through business accounting to computer programming; 4. The two-year, or community college, from which students may enter many professions or may go to four-year colleges or universities. Any of these institutions, in any category, might be either public or private, depending on the source of its funding. There is no clear or inevitable distinction in terms of quality of education offered between the institutions, which are publicly or privately funded. However, this is not to say that all institutions enjoy equal prestige, nor that there are no material differences among them. Many universities and colleges, both public and private, have gained reputations for offering particularly challenging courses, and for providing their students with a higher quality of education. The great majority are generally regarded as quite satisfactory. A few other institutions, conversely, provide only adequate education, and students attend classes, pass examinations and graduate as merely competent, but not outstanding, scholars and professionals. The factors determining whether an institution is one of the best, or one of lower prestige, are: quality of teaching faculty, quality of research facilities, amount of funding available for libraries, special programs, etc., and the competence and number of applicants for admission, i.e. how selective the institution can be in choosing its students. All of these factors reinforce one another. In the United States it is generally recognized that there are more and less desirable institutions in which to study and from which to graduate. The more desirable institutions are generally – but not always – more costly to attend, and having graduated from one of them may bring distinct advantages as an individual seeks employment opportunities and social mobility within the society. Competition to get into such a college prompts a million secondary school students to take the SATs every year. But recently emphasis on admissions examinations has been widely criticized in the United States because the examinations tend to measure competence in mathematics and English. In defense of using the examinations as criteria for admissions, administrators at many universities say that SATs provide a fair way for deciding whom to admit when they have 10 or 12 applicants for every first-year student seat. Can America's colleges and universities rest on their accomplishments? About 12 million students currently attend schools of higher education in America. They are students in a society that believe in the bond between education and democracy. Still, many Americans are not satisfied with the condition of higher education in their country. Perhaps the most widespread complaint has to do with the college curriculum as a whole and with the wide range of electives in particular. In the middle of 1980s, the Association of American Colleges (AAC) issued a report that called for teaching a body of common knowledge to all college students. The National Institute of Education (NIE) issued a somewhat similar report, "Involvement in Learning”. In its report, the NIE concluded that the college curriculum has become "excessively vocational and work-related”. The report also warned that college education may no longer be developing in students "the shared values and knowledge” that traditionally bind Americans together. A serious charge: Is it true? For the moment, to some degree, it probably is. Certainly, some students complete their degree work without a course in Western Civilization – not to mention other world cultures. Others leave college without having studied science or government. As one response, many colleges have begun reemphasizing a core curriculum that all students must master. Such problems are signs that American higher education is changing, as it has throughout its history. And, as in the past, this change may be leading in unexpected directions. The Puritans set up colleges to train ministers. But their students made their mark as the leaders of the world's first constitutional democracy. The land grant colleges were founded to teach agriculture and engineering to the builders of the American West. Today, many of these colleges are leading schools in the world of scientific research. Americans have always had a stake in "making the system work”. They have especially critical reasons for doing so in the field of education. People in the United States today are faced with momentous questions: "What is America's proper role as the world's oldest constitutional democracy; its largest, economy; its first nuclear power?” Americans cherish their right to express opinions on all such issues. But the people of the United States are also painfully aware of how complex such issues are. To take part in dealing with new problems, most Americans feel they need all the information they can get. Colleges and universities are the most important centers of such learning. And whatever improvements may be demanded, their future is almost guaranteed by the American thirst to advance and be well informed. In fact, the next charge in American education may be a trend for people to continue their education in college – for a lifetime. |
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